The most important railway station in the New Aquitaine region, the Bordeaux Saint-Jean station is located only 2 hours and 4 minutes from Paris via the LGV Sud Europe Atlantique. It serves Marseille, Nantes, Toulouse, Nîmes and Lille. What is the history of this strategic French station?

 

 

1. The origins of the Bordeaux Saint-Jean station 🚅

It was in 1855 that the station was built, which was then called "Gare du Midi" and was managed by the Compagnie du Midi. When it was created, the station had only five tracks and all its buildings were made of wood. Initially considered as a temporary station, Bordeaux Saint-Jean will gradually become the main station of Bordeaux at the expense of its competitor, the station of Bordeaux-Bastide.

2. A station that has continued to grow over the decades 🕰

Due to the important development of the railroads at the end of the 19th century, the Bordeaux Saint-Jean station benefited from numerous works, including entirely new departure and arrival halls, which gave the place its current appearance. In 1934, due to the merger between the Compagnie du Paris-Orléans and the Compagnie du Midi, the Bordeaux-Bastide station closed its doors for good and only Bordeaux Saint-Jean remained as a station for passengers.

3. A station in constant evolution 🚆

Newly renovated facilities were inaugurated in 1987 in the presence of the mayor of Bordeaux at the time, Jacques Chaban-Delmas and the president of the SNCF, Philippe Essig. This major project was designed to accommodate the future Atlantic TGV. The transformation of the station does not stop there since a new renovation project begins in 2014 and ends in 2017 with the commissioning of the famous LGV line. This pharaonic project involves more than 150 people to complete this ambitious project, which includes asbestos removal, lead paint stripping and the complete replacement of all the glass panels of the main 300-meter long glass roof.

4. Perspectives and futures 💯

As the nerve center of southwestern France, the Bordeaux Saint-Jean train station welcomes more than 18 million travelers every year. The construction of the Sud Europe Atlantique High Speed Line has reduced travel time between Bordeaux and Paris. In addition, from a more European perspective, the line also connects France with Madrid or Lisbon and even with some foreign destinations in the North such as Brussels or Amsterdam. Also, the Bordeaux-Toulouse high-speed line puts these two major cities in the region only one hour away.

5. Blue Valet: the practical and affordable parking solution 🚙

Pour partir sereinement en voyage depuis la gare de Bordeaux Saint-Jean ou à partir d’autres gares et aéroports situés en France ou ailleurs en Europe, il existe un service de parking avec voiturier à connaître absolument : Blue Valet. Le principe de fonctionnement de cette prestation est d’une simplicité très appréciable pour les voyageurs.

Avant un départ, il suffit de se rendre sur le site web de l’entreprise et de faire sa réservation. La procédure ne prend pas plus de cinq minutes. Une fois celle-ci faite et le jour du départ, il suffit de confier son véhicule à un voiturier dédié an niveau du dépose minute. Au retour de voyage, le client n’a qu’à récupérer sa voiture au même endroit.

Facile, pratique et proposant des tarifs nettement inférieurs à ceux d’un parking classique, le service de Blue Valet est attractif à plus d’un titre.

 

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